Welcome home, newest Sun Devils!

More than 14,000 students move into ASU's residence halls over the weekend; see the action in video and photos

More than 14,000 new and returning students moved in to Arizona State University’s residence halls, from the new (the state-of-the-art Tooker House) to the historical (Manzanita marking 50 years of providing a home for students).

Watch the fun in fast-forward on four of ASU's campuses in this time-lapse video.

Video of Fall 2017 Move-In

Video by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Moving into the dorm is one of the rites of passage in college, and ASU does it right: In addition to providing music, games and crews of volunteers who run the move-in process like a well-oiled machine, the university takes a community-minded approach to hall assigments. ASU places students in specific halls based on their academic major, helping to create close-knit communities and build a foundation that spurs academic success throughout their time at the university.

The Tempe campus welcomed 11,000 residents; 1,280 at the Downtown Phoenix campus; 1,250 at Polytechnic; 550 at West; and 117 at Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Automotive systems engineering freshman Nathan Callahan wheels in his belongings during fall 2017 move-in at the Polytechnic campus' Century Hall on Thursday evening.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Incoming freshman Ashley Blacher has her first look at her dorm room filmed by her father, Darin Blacher, Thursday on the Polytechnic campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Pre-veterinary medicine freshman Brittany Padayachee gets some help from her father, Sandy Padayachee, as she gets into her residence hall room on the Polytechnic campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Pre-veterinary medicine freshman David Cofield (seated) tries out his desk while his brother, Christopher, and his mother, Doreen, laugh during fall 2017 move-in at the Polytechnic campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Engineering freshman Kayla Pagel (center) poses for a snapshot with her sisters Larysa Pagel (left) and Krystna Pagel after moving in all her belongings Thursday evening at Century Hall on ASU's Polytechnic campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Incoming journalism freshman Gabrielle Hofer gets a big smile from her mother, Kari Hofer, as they make their way into Taylor Place residence hall during movie-in Friday morning on the Downtown Phoenix campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

There's always time for a little fun: ASU volunteers and staff — including medical studies sophomore Sara McFarland (left) and journalism senior Crystal Alvarez — dance during the Taylor Place move-in, which featured a DJ keeping it upbeat.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

It's a tight squeeze in the Taylor Place elevators, but the efficient process keeps everything moving.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Incoming journalism freshman Jessica Ferrigno smiles as she gets help from her mothers Joan Goldstein (right) and Lauren Goldstein as they finish unloading their car Friday morning on the Downtown Phoenix campus.

Move-in organizers try to keep the fun levels high with games and music. Here, Shawn Swift tries out the hula hoop while his sister moves into Casa Del Oro on the West campus Saturday morning.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

English major Sha Stumbaugh, her boyfriend, Lemar Smith, and her family move her belongings to Casa del Oro on the West campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

It's a family affair as forensics freshman Meghan Gast (seated) unpacks her belongings in her room on the West campus on Saturday morning.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Brady and Maria Mejia take photos of their daughter Desiree, their first child in college, as they walk up to Casa del Oro on Saturday at the West campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Global management freshman Justin Chichester pulls his dancing father, John Chichester, away from Sparky during move-in on the West campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Medical studies freshman Reganne Shepard and her parents, Dawnelle and Hugh Shepard, pose for a photo with Sparky — and her two plants — during move-in at the West campus.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Shania Kemp, with the Residential Hall Association, talks with a new student and her mother at Wells Fargo Arena as they begin the process of moving in Saturday.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Patricia Garza, of Monterrey, Mexico, waits for her son outside Tooker House on Saturday. Tooker House is the new residence hall for engineering students designed to amplify what they learn in the classroom.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Mechanical engineering freshman Bryson Bennett, from Idaho, and his mother, Sarah Bennett, make his bed at Tooker House on Saturday at the Tempe campus.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Mother Paula Aleksa and sister Katelyn Aleska make their way across campus to deliver a minion (and a few other supplies) to her son, business communications major Matthew Aleksa, during move-in at the Tempe campus on Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

Civil engineering freshman Jennifer Arpero starts working on getting her bed set up Saturday. Her roommate, biomedical engineering student Gabby Sandoval, and her family set up the other side of their Tooker House room. Arpero and Sandoval were high-school classmates at Bourgade Catholic High School in west Phoenix.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Manzanita Hall celebrates its 50th year housing students as the newest group moves in Saturday in Tempe. The hall, finished in 1966 and opened to students in 1967, underwent a $50 million renovation a few years ago that added a business center, fitness center and social spaces. See photos here.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Friends always have your back — or your bag. Brooke Speckman (left) and Rachel Olsson (right) help carry bags for freshman Kate Cassidy as she moves into Manzanita Hall on Saturday on the Tempe campus. Speckman, a sophomore in early special education, and Olsson, a recent graduate, were passing by when they saw Cassidy burdened with too many bags.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Tooker House move-in

Video of Tooker House Move-In, Meet the Obangas

Video by Jamie Ell/ASU

Top photo: Journalism freshman Jessica Ferrigno gets help moving her belongings to a car from her mother Joan Goldstein and journalism senior Crystal Alvarez (left) during move-in at Taylor Place on the Downtown Phoenix campus Friday morning. Photo by Deanna Dent

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When the first students walk into classes at the new San Carlos Apache College on Monday, they’ll not only be learning biology and accounting, they’ll be part of a mission to preserve their language and culture and drive economic prosperity in their community.Arizona’s third tribal college opened Friday on the San Carlos Apache Reservation after two and a half years of intense planning and p...

New San Carlos Apache College aims to preserve culture, prepare for future

San Carlos college has values based on Apache concept of Go’zhoo: to be at peace

August 13, 2017

Tribal values key to new school; ASU staff offered insight to community members on how to create an institution from scratch

When the first students walk into classes at the new San Carlos Apache College on Monday, they’ll not only be learning biology and accounting, they’ll be part of a mission to preserve their language and culture and drive economic prosperity in their community.

Arizona’s third tribal college opened Friday on the San Carlos Apache Reservation after two and a half years of intense planning and preparation, much of it done with the assistance of Arizona State University.

More than five years ago, the chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Terry Rambler, had a vision to create a college, and he asked ASU President Michael Crow for help. The Apaches were able to leverage the expertise of Maria Hesse, vice provost for academic partnerships at ASU, and Jacob Moore, the university’s assistant vice president for tribal relations.

San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Terry Rambler speaks at the grand opening of the new San Carlos Apache College on Friday. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

At Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rambler said that San Carlos Apache College is for everyone in the community — high school students, tribal employees and elders.

“This is the beginning of something great. This is a way to say no to alcohol and drugs by using our minds in a good way and not abusing them,” he said.

“This is a way to regain respect among ourselves. This is a way not to lose our identity as Apaches.”

Hesse is the former president of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and was on the team that founded the college in the late 1980s. So she was able to offer insight to the community members on how to create an institution from scratch, working with the tribe to have a long-term plan in place to ensure they would open on time.

“If you want to start classes in August, here’s what you need to do in July,” she said. “What are the priority hires? If you want to do electrical wiring in July, you need to rip everything out by June. We talked about the program of study and class schedule.

Classes will be held in a stone building in downtown San Carlos that was the previous tribal administrative headquarters. Workers were still renovating the building into classrooms during the ceremony on Friday and expected to work straight through the weekend until the start of classes Monday morning.

At first, the college will offer general-education courses in English, math, biology, chemistry, accounting and computer literacy. Eventually, the curriculum will be expanded and associate’s degrees will be offered. Tuition will be $34.50 per credit hour, so a full-time semester of 12 credits would cost $414.

For now, San Carlos is offering classes as a site of Tohono O’odham Community College, a tribal college in Sells. That allows San Carlos to be accredited until it earns its accreditation independently in about four years.

Accreditation is critically important because it allows students to qualify for financial aid and for their credits to transfer to universities. Like at all Arizona two-year colleges, students at San Carlos will be able to map out their majors to efficiently transfer to ASU.

The college will have core values based on the Apache concept of Go’zhoo — to be at peace.

Tohono O’odham Community College is a good blueprint for how tribal culture is integral to the vision. All students take two classes in “Himdag” — the lifelong elements of culture, values, language and way of life for the tribe. The college has a committee made up of staff, faculty, students and community members that works to incorporate “Himdag” into every aspect of college life.

“They don’t teach anything that’s out of sync with their culture,” said Moore, who is a member of the Tohono O’odham tribe.

San Carlos Apache College President Martin Ahumada receives a hug from one of his former mentors following the grand-opening ceremonies. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Martin Ahumada, the new president of San Carlos Apache College, said that preserving culture is vital for the Apaches.

“It has been known for many decades that the knowledge of one’s native tongue and being well grounded in your cultural traditions is important for self-esteem,” said Ahumada, the former interim president of Dine College on the Navajo reservation, the country’s first tribal college, founded in 1968.

Among the San Carlos Apache, few members younger than 35 know the language, according to Cordella Moses, a curriculum specialist for the tribe’s language-preservation department. She helped to design the Apache Language and Culture course, which is offered at 5 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday this semester.

“A lot of people think ‘culture’ refers to ceremonial dancing, but culture means a lot more than that. It’s our art, how we make moccasins and beadwork, and our meditation and our prayers,” she said.

“If you don’t know the language, you can’t pray.”

Ahumada said that besides Apache culture and the general-education courses, he would like to prepare students for jobs in San Carlos, which has a casino and a new medical center.

“We know the Apache way of life was long anchored in farming, and we want to enable members of the community to return to farming.”

Video of San Carlos Apache College Grand Opening

Video by Jamie Ell/ASU

The college received a $1.5 million federal grant in 2014 to get started, and the tribal council recently agreed to fund it with $2.5 million.

ASU’s support for the tribal college is part of a larger agreement between the university and the community, signed in 2013, that will include design and construction assistance when the San Carlos Apache are ready to build a campus; college-readiness and healthy-lifestyle programming for young people; and academic counseling and personal support for San Carlos freshmen and transfer students through the Native American Achievement Program at ASU.

Hesse said that Crow agreed with Rambler’s idea of jump-starting the tribe’s business community with the college.

“He felt like they were like-minded in their shared belief that education brings opportunity and hope to our youth while fueling economic development,” she said at the opening ceremony Friday.

“You can address the workforce training needs for employers, and you can offer lifelong learning opportunities to members of this community.”

A sign for the new San Carlos Apache College replaced the former San Carlos Apache Tribal Hall in San Carlos, Arizona. ASU and Tohono O'odham Community College worked closely with members of the San Carlos tribe to establish the community college. The incoming freshmen will be offered general education, as well as Apache language and culture courses.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

The former Apache Tribal Council hall is the new home of the San Carlos Apache College.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Workers face tight deadlines to finish the renovation of the former Tribal Council Hall so classes can begin on time.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

The former San Carlos Tribal Council room is filled with new furniture and will soon become a lecture hall.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Tribal burden baskets sit astride the lectern before the grand opening of the new San Carlos Apache College on Friday.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

New human resources specialist Deidre Antonio (center) sings the national anthem in the Apache language as Pastor Fernando Pechuli Sr. (left) and tribal Chairman Terry Rambler stand at attention at the start of the grand-opening celebration.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

More than 100 tribal members and supporters celebrate the grand opening.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Board of Regents members, supporters, Tohono O'odham Community College President Paul Robertson and San Carlos Apache College's Martin Ahumada celebrate the ribbon cutting.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

San Carlos is about 110 miles east of Phoenix, yet its economy is underdeveloped. With nearly 60 percent of the population under the poverty level, it is one of the poorest Native American communities in the U.S. The opening of San Carlos Apache College will provide post-secondary education and skills for members and the community to have higher standards of living.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Graduates from the San Carlos High School will have the opportunity to continue their education at the new San Carlos Apache College. The future freshmen will be able to take general education and natural resources classes, as well as study the Apache language and culture.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

Like many reservations, San Carlos faces poverty, unemployment and other socioeconomic challenges, Moore said.

“From a K-12 perspective, any number of our tribal communities have struggling schools. Someone with a more critical eye would say, ‘How can they be a feeder system to a college?’

“But the beauty is this idea of having a vision and some expectation that these students do have someplace to go and a future.”

Top photo: Founding President Martin Ahumada (second from left) thanks Tohono O'odham Community College President Paul Robertson by giving him a tribal burden basket at the grand opening of the new San Carlos Apache College in San Carlos, Arizona, on Friday. Tohono O'odham Community College is using its accreditation to cover the new college to allow its students to qualify for financial aid and for their credits to transfer to universities. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now